The Syrian Coalition renewed calls on the international community to take serious, urgent action to put an end to the Assad regime’s crimes and siege of eastern Ghouta; hold those responsible to account; and salvage the political process in line with UN resolutions and the Geneva Communique of 2012.

In a press release issued on Wednesday, the Coalition said: “The situation in the Damascus suburb of eastern Ghouta in general and in the town of Irbeen in particular is further deteriorating with each passing day. The international community, meanwhile, is completely absent as it has so far failed to assume its responsibilities.”

Local activists said that two children were killed and others wounded in artillery shelling by the Assad regime forces targeting residential areas in the town of Irbeen in eastern Ghouta on Wednesday morning. They pointed out that the bombardment, which has been ongoing for over 20 days, has killed dozens of civilians and caused widespread destruction to civilian houses and services centers.

The Coalition warned the international community of “the consequences of its negative position and its complete failure to take action to put an end to the atrocities being committed by the Assad regime against the Syrian people backed by the Russian air force and the foreign militias.”

“Over the past three weeks, eastern Ghouta has been a hell of fire and destruction as cluster bombs and chemical weapons, especially chlorine gas, have been rained on civilians in the area.”

The Coalition went on to say that at least 47 people have been killed in the town of Irbeen alone in the past three weeks, mostly women and children. A total of 200 civilians have been killed and hundreds more injured in eastern Ghouta over the same period.

The towns and villages of eastern Ghouta have been subjected to intensified airstrikes and shelling by heavy artillery, which have killed hundreds of civilians and caused massive destruction to residential neighborhoods and infrastructure. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)